London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Kensington 1920

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]

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Collective instruction by lectures is not undertaken at Telford Road. Also, there is little home
visiting; in fact, no area is allotted to this unit, therefore any visiting carried out would be in the
district of one or other of the seven Welfare Centres. There is need of a treatment centre in
Kensington. If the Telford Road authorities were to discontinue the use of the existing institution
as an Infant Welfare Centre for healthy babies and a scheme were arranged under which infants
from Welfare Centres requiring treatment could be referred, when suitable, to Telford Road and
returned to their respective Welfare Centres on completion of treatment, the Kensington Child
Welfare scheme would be a splendid example of what can be done by voluntary effort.
LADBROKE ROAD BABY IN-PATIENT HOSPITAL.
This institution, which was opened in 1919, has 17 beds for the treatment of sub-acute and
chronic diseases. Two beds are reserved for children recommended from the various Kensington
Infant Welfare Centres, but all the beds are available for children belonging to the Borough.
Records for the year 1920:—
Number in residence at commencement of year 11
Number of admissions during the year 63
Number of discharges during the year 57
Number of deaths during the year 5
Number in residence at end of year 12
Average duration of stay in hospital 13 weeks
DAY NURSERIES.

At the commencement of 1920 there were seven Day Nurseries in the Borough, but the Raymede Nursery closed towards the end of the year owing to the lack of funds. The following Table shows a record of attendances for the year:—

Gol-borne.Kensal Creche (Medical Mission)Lancaster Road.Netting HillDay NurserySt. Clement's, Tread-gold St.St. Luke's Fulham RoadTotals
1. Whole day attendances of children under 3 years of age49242389344689883110319226049
2. Whole day attendances of children over 3 years of age234888243219476098357053
3. Total whole day attendances727232713878109353719402733102
4. Charges made for each attendance of a child1/-9d.1 /-8d.11-1/-
5. Half-day attendances of children under 3 years of age162663825
6. Half-day attendances of children over 3 years of age85_138223
7. Total half-day attendances2478011048
8. Charges made for each attendance of a child5d.6d.
9. Average daily attendance of children321414511818147

Owing to the closure of the Raymede Day Nursery and the dissolution of the Committee, it is impossible to obtain figures
for the portion of the year during which the Nursery was open.
The value of Day Nurseries was unquestionable during the War, when it was of supreme
national importance that women should take the place of men in the industries of the country, but
now that we have returned to days of peace, a mother with young children should find her daily
occupation at home.
It is true that many mothers, owing to sickness or death of their husbands, or other circumstances,
are compelled to go out to work, and to these women Day Nurseries are of great value;
there is, however, a great danger of these institutions being used for the care of children whose
mothers can afford to stay at home but will avail themselves of an opportunity of working in
factory or workshop.
In the selection of infants for admission to these Institutions, very great care should be taken
to prevent the unnecessary expenditure of money supplied by voluntary effort and Government
grant on children whose mothers go out to work for preference and not out of necessity.
The future of Day Nurseries requires very careful consideration, for it is open to question
whether it would not be better and even more economical to spend money on keeping necessitous,
widowed and deserted mothers at home with their children, rather than on the support of Day
Nurseries.